That Don't Sound Like You
by naelacy
Summary: Riley and her family move to New York after graduation leaving her best friend and boyfriend Lucas in Texas. Song Fic based loosely off of Lee Brice's "That Don't Sound Like You."
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I unfortunately do not own GMW or Lee Brice's 'That Don't Sound Like You.' But when I heard it, the wheels in my head started spinning. Hope You guys enjoy chapter 1._

* * *

 ** _Girl, I'm glad you called, first heard you talk_**

 ** _It took me a second 'cause I couldn't hear your draw_**

 ** _That don't sound like you_**

 ** _That don't sound like you_**

Lucas could not contain his smile when he saw his best friend/ex-girlfriend/love of his life's name pop up on his phone. He was so glad he had decided to stay in on his first Saturday of summer.

"Riles! Hey, how are you? It's been a few weeks."

"Hey Lucas. I know. School has been so busy. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch. I've got finals coming up this week and I just needed a break so I thought it would be nice to talk to you. How have you been?" Every time they talked, Lucas almost didn't recognize her voice. Her Texas accent became fainter and fainter each time they talked.

"This is Riley, right?" he asked her.

He heard her giggle and she goes, "why wouldn't it be me Friar?"

"You've been in New York too long Riley. You are losing your accent. Since when do you actually say 'you'?" he said.

"That's how you pronounce it." She informed him in a 'matter of fact tone.'

"I think it is time for you to come back to Texas. You need to be retaught how we speak down here."

He heard her giggle through the phone and listened to her stories of her times in New York.

 _1 Year, 10 Months Ago_

 _Lucas was hanging out at his girlfriend's house watching her finish packing up her bedroom. Her dad had got a principal position at a school in New York City and because her parents were not ready to live in a separate state from their oldest child, they made her apply to New York University. Riley had no problem getting accepted. She had been their class valedictorian, president of their student government and head cheerleader. She was a peer tutor, office aide and completed hundreds of volunteer hours at various places around Austin. It was a given that she would be accepted anywhere. Her original plan had to be stay in Austin and attend the University of Texas with Lucas, but after her dad accepted the job in New York City, her parents changed all of her plans for her. She was devastated, as was Lucas, but they offered to pay for her college as long as she went where they chose. Lucas applied to NYU and was accepted, but unfortunately, his Pappy Joe, his grandfather and best friend other than Riley, became ill and could not take care of his ranch outside Austin anymore. Riley ripped up Lucas's NYU acceptance letter and told him he couldn't leave his Pappy Joe. She knew how much he meant to the blonde hair, green-eyed boy, and knew that if Pappy Joe were to take a turn for the worse, Lucas would never forgive himself if he weren't here to be with him._

 _"Can you stop packing and come sit with me for a minute?" Lucas asked her._

 _"No, because I know you want to talk about us and that is not a conversation I am ready to have." She replied and turned her back to him so he couldn't see the tears that were forming in her eyes._

 _Lucas stood up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder. He kissed her neck and said, "we are running out of time Riles. We have to talk about us soon. You leave tomorrow."_

 _"What's there to talk about Lucas? I love you. You love me. There is nothing to talk about!"_

 _"Riley, we are going to be 1,800 miles apart. You can't tell me that there is nothing to talk about. I don't want to talk about it either, but we have to face reality."_

 _"Can't we just stay in Rileytown forever? I like Rileytown."_

 _"You know I would love to stay in Rileytown. It's my favorite place to be. But we have to talk about what these 1,800 miles means." Lucas pulled her in tighter and kissed her cheek. He did not turn her around to face him yet not only because he didn't want to see her cry, but also he was having a hard time holding the tears back himself._

 _They stood like that for a few moments and once they both composed themselves, Riley turned around to face him. "You're right. Let's talk."_

 _Lucas made himself comfortable on her bed and pulled her into his lap. They both sat there, hoping to just pause the moment. This was one of those moments they considered themselves in Rileytown: just the two of them in their own little world. But they knew they couldn't stay in Rileytown forever. She started the conversation and by the end, they had both decided that if they were meant to be together, the distance and time apart would not be a factor. They could overcome the distance and make it work. They just knew they couldn't be without each other. They promised to talk everyday, even if it was just for a few minutes, Facetime at least once a week and take turns visiting each other on breaks. They were positive their love could overcome the 1,800 miles between them._

 _Unfortunately, 3 months later, after weeks of playing phone tag and week after week of missed Facetime chats, and not being able to see each other over Thanksgiving Break, the couple decided they were both too busy to continue their relationship. Riley was a science major so she could apply to nursing school after her sophomore year and Lucas was a science major so he could follow his dreams of becoming a Vet. They both agreed that no matter how much they loved each other, it wasn't fair to either one of them to keep holding onto a relationship neither one had time for. They both believed that if they were meant to be together, they would be after this obstacle, but both decided it would be best to end things and focus on getting to their future. They continued their friendship because they both knew they couldn't survive without the other in their lives._

 _Their friendship gave Lucas hope that maybe one day they would end up back together again. That was until Riley changed her relationship status on Facebook to "in a relationship" again at the beginning of their sophomore year of college._


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Thank you for all the follows and favorites! This is one of my first actual stories and it means a lot to me that people are liking it. I am actually almost done with the whole story, but I am having trouble with the ending. I just want to make sure I end it correctly._

 _Again, I don't own GMW or Lee Brice's song._

* * *

 ** _I know it's been a while, I don't mean to pry_**

 ** _But when I asked you if you're happy I didn't hear you smile_**

 ** _And that don't sound like you_**

 ** _Nah, that ain't the girl I knew_**

Riley was telling him a story about a little girl she took care of in the hospital she was working in. He loved hearing her talk. He had missed talking with her so much. "…and then a couple of days ago, I was at my computer charting and in walks that sweet angel. She had colored me a picture of Anna and Elsa because I told her how much I loved Frozen. She had been released and made her mom come visit me just so she could bring me that picture. Even though I hate my job most days, that little girl made me realize that I am making a difference." She finished her story and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Well of course she did Riles. She was lucky to have you as her Nurse Tech. I am sure you are the best one in that hospital."  
"Oh stop it Lucas!"

"So I know you love work, but how about the rest of your life? How's the family? How are Maya and your Uncle Josh doing?" He paused for a second, but then continued, "How is Charlie doing? Are you happy?"

"Oh, you know, things are good. And, of course Lucas. You know me, I'm always happy!" She replied. Her smile was gone. He didn't have to see her to know that she wasn't smiling anymore. She smiled the whole time she talked about her job at the hospital, but as soon as he mentioned her family, friends and boyfriend, it disappeared.

"What's wrong Riley?"

"You always know, don't you Friar?" and she started telling him about how Charlie was causing problems between her and Maya because he wanted to be with her all the time and it was limiting the time she got to spend with Maya. She then began telling him how her parents wanted her to put off nursing school for another year. She had been accepted to four nursing programs, but none of them were in NYC. She then went into the story of how Charlie agreed with her parents and was trying to dissuade her from following her dream. Lucas loved Cory and Topanga although they had ripped Riley out of his life, but he didn't like how they were still trying to control her and her life. And although he still hadn't been out to New York to meet Charlie, he wasn't his biggest fan. Not just because he was jealous he had Riley, but also because he was trying to discourage her from following her dream.

 _9 Months Ago_

 _Lucas had been on Facebook scrolling through his news feed and the name Riley Matthews caught his eye._

 _"In a Relationship with Charlie Gardner"_

 _He dropped his phone. He picked it up and looked at it again and it still said the same thing. She had mentioned Charlie to him over the last few months. He was one of the guys in her study group. He was pre-med and so they had several science classes together. She had posted a couple of picture with him on Facebook and Instagram before, but she had never once mentioned to him that there was anything romantic going on between them. Hell, school just started back up and he figured that she hadn't seen him all summer. He called her as soon as he calmed down enough to be able to string a few sentences together. And she answered right away, almost as if she was expecting a call._

 _"Hey Luke." Her voice sounded like an angel. But it didn't matter right now. He was mad._

 _"Don't 'Hey Luke' me!"_  
 _"What's wrong?"_  
 _"You seriously don't know…"_  
 _"Oh, I guess you saw Facebook." Riley said sounding defeated. "Lucas, let me explain…"_  
 _"Explain what Riley? That I had to find out with the rest of your Facebook friends that you had moved on?" He interrupted. She could hear the pain in his voice._

 _"Lucas, can I please talk?"_

 _"Why couldn't you just tell me Riley? We have talked almost every other day the last couple of weeks. Why did I have to find out over Facebook? I didn't even realize that you were dating anyone. Why would you keep that from me?"_

 _"I didn't know how to Lucas. Things have been going so well between us and we were talking more and more that I was afraid to say anything. Charlie and I spent a lot of time together over the summer and it just kind of happened. I didn't know how to tell you." She pleaded her case. Lucas was quiet trying to process everything. He knew that they technically weren't together anymore, but that didn't change his feelings for her. He was still madly in love with her and thought that they would be together again one day. But now, with her moving on, he had no idea what that meant for their future._

 _"Lucas, please say something."_

 _"I don't know what to say Riley. I just…" He heard a guy's voice in the background and heard Riley cover the speaker. He then heard a door shut._

 _"Lucas, are you still there?"_

 _"Riley, I'm assuming that Charlie is there to spend time with his girlfriend so I won't take up any more of your time."_

 _"Lucas, no. Do not hang up yet. We need to talk this out. I don't want you to be angry with me."_

 _"Riley, I'm not angry. I'm just, I don't know what I am right now. I just wish I would have found out from you that you had moved on and not your social media account. I just wish I had known you guys had been hanging out and dating. I just wish that I had heard from you that you had given up on us."_

 _"That's not what this means Lucas!"_

 _"Riley, you are not the type of girl to date just to have someone. You date to find your future husband. You told me that after our third date. So for you to get into a new relationship, I know that you are looking at other guys to be your future husband."_

 _"Lucas…" Riley started, but Lucas didn't give her time to continue._

 _"I hope he makes you happy Riles. That's all I ever want for you is for you to be the happiest girl in the world. I've got to go though. I'll, um, goodbye Riley."_

 _"Lucas, please don't hang up yet." Riley begged him, but it was too late. The call had already been ended. Lucas let out all the tears he had been holding back throughout the call and threw his phone across his room. Riley locked herself in her room even thought Charlie was waiting for her in her living room. They had always promised to never end a conversation with 'goodbye.' That's how Riley knew she had lost her best friend._

 _And lost him she had, for a while at least. He wouldn't take her calls, her Facetime requests or even text her back. He shut her out for four months. Four months they went without talking. It killed him to ignore her, but he was hurt. She broke his heart and she didn't even realize it. But on New Year's Day, at 12:01 AM, she tried calling him again, knowing it would be pointless. She just wanted to try and see if the New Year would bring back her friend. The phone rang three times and she was about to just hang up, but then she heard his voice._

 _"Lucas?"_

 _"Hey Riles."_

 _"Happy New Year Lucas."_  
 _"Happy New Year Riley."_

 _And just like that, she had her best friend back. They talked on the phone for 2 hours, catching up on the last four months they didn't talk. Lucas had missed his best friend._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note:This is the first chapter without any flashbacks and takes place completely in the present time. I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I haven't written anything in about 7 years so I was a little nervous about posting this one. This chapter is a little longer than the previous two so I apologize about that._

* * *

 ** _Your pretty brown hair, you always loved it_**

 ** _Guess he didn't like it, so you just cut it_**

 ** _And that don't sound like you_**

 ** _Nah, that ain't the girl I knew_**

Riley and Lucas were still on the phone, but neither one was talking. They never had a problem sitting together in silence. Lucas opened up his Facebook and Charlie had tagged Riley in a picture with him. It still crushed his heart seeing pictures of them together, but he noticed that she had chopped off her long hair. Her hair barely touched her shoulders now.

"You cut your hair Matthews?" Lucas exclaimed.

"How did you know?" she questioned him.

"Charlie posted a picture of the two of you. You loved your long hair. Why did you cut so much off?"

"I don't know. Charlie thought my hair was too long. He has been bugging me a while to get it cut so I thought, 'why not?' and just took the plunge. What do you think?"

"Riley, you know I always find you beautiful. But I want to know what you think."  
"It's different. And I would be lying if I said I didn't miss my long hair. But, I'm sure I will get used to it. It will just take some time."

"That doesn't sound like the Riley I know."  
Lucas examined the picture Charlie had posted more closely. He saw Riley's smile and knew it was her fake smile. Something was going on with Riley and he wasn't sure if he should ask her about it or not. Things had been going so well for the two of them for the past 5 and a half months, he didn't want to ruin anything. He didn't like seeing pictures of her fake smile though. He didn't like seeing her change her appearance because some guy wanted her to. That wasn't the Riley he knew. That wasn't the Riley he had fallen in love with their freshman year of high school.

"You know Luke, I don't know if I am the same Riley you knew."

It was that statement that made him decide he needed to see her. Not on Facetime, but in person. He hopped out of bed and went to his laptop and started looking at cheap flights to NYC. An hour later, after he had booked a flight to NYC, he wished her good luck on her finals, told her he loves her like he always does and ended the call with the normal 'talk to you later.' Lucas had booked a flight to NYC for the end of the week. He knew she would be done with finals on Wednesday and that she had the weekend off so he figured that the next weekend would be the perfect opportunity to see her. They only thing left he had left to do was find a place to stay. He dialed Josh's number, hoping he could sleep on his couch. Although Josh was three years older than them and never actually lived in Texas, Lucas and him had formed a friendship when Lucas began dating Riley. Even in the four months that Lucas and Riley didn't talk, Lucas still stayed in touch with Josh. Lucas had to keep tabs on Riley somehow since he was too hurt to speak to the beautiful brunette directly.

Josh was more than happy to let Lucas stay on his couch while he was in NYC. He even offered to pick him up from the airport. He never liked Charlie and how he pretty much guilted his niece into a relationship with him so she wouldn't tear apart their study group because of the weird tension after she turned him down several times. Riley didn't see it that way though. She was too busy trying to see the best in Charlie and how he was going to save lives one day. What Josh knew that Riley didn't was that Charlie was not a good student and could barely pass his classes, especially with him being in some very rigorous sciences. Josh knew Charlie would never get into med school, and when he and Maya tried to convince Riley of that, Charlie started giving Riley less and less time to spend with Maya, his girlfriend. Maya and Riley became best friends as soon as Josh introduced them. They were complete opposites, but they complemented each other. Josh was so happy that his girlfriend and niece got along so well. They were two of his favorite people.

Josh called Maya and told her about Lucas's plan when he hung up with the Texan. Maya was so excited about finally getting to meet Lucas and hoped that he could convince Riley to go to nursing school. As much as Maya didn't want Riley leaving NYC, she was doing her very best at encouraging Riley to go to one of the nursing programs she was accepted to knowing she would end things with Charlie. Riley had told her about Lucas and how in love they were in high school. You could hear the love come pouring out when she spoke of Lucas and when they decided to end things she was devastated. She did not come out of her room for two weeks. Luckily, she had friends that would bring her the work she missed in class and all of her professors allowed her to submit things electronically. Unfortunately, one of those friends just so happened to be Charlie. But hopefully, after this weekend, there would be no more Charlie.

 _Six Days Later_

Lucas's flight landed at John F Kennedy airport at 3:30 in the afternoon. Lucas went to arrival pick up and saw Josh Matthews with a pretty blonde girl he had never met. But from Riley's description, he knew it was Maya, his competition as Riley's best friend. Josh pulled Lucas in for a hug and before Maya did anything she looked him up and down.

"Yeah, I'm definitely Riley's BEST best friend." Maya commented.

"Hi Maya. It's nice to finally meet you." She held her hand out for a handshake, but Lucas pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey! I am from New York! I don't hug people!"

"Sorry, it's a Texas thing I guess."

"Riley said the same thing the first time I met her. Maybe you are her best friend…"

The trio headed for Josh's car and Josh took them back to his apartment.

"So do you have any plans for this weekend?" Josh inquired.

"No, not really." Lucas admitted. "I just, after our last phone call, I just knew I had to see her."

"Well, you couldn't have come at a better time. She has to make her decision on nursing school by the end of the month and I think she is really thinking about deferring it for another year and just staying here at NYU." Josh informed the Texan.

"She mentioned something to me about how her mom and dad asked her not to go yet and how Charlie agreed with them and was trying to dissuade her from going."

"Ugh, Charlie." Maya said with a tone of disgust in her voice.

"You don't like Charlie?" Lucas asked, surprised.

"Let's just say as much as I will miss her, I hope she goes to nursing school far, far away from the city so she will get away from him."

"Is he that bad? Riley has tried to make me think he was a good guy."

"Has she succeeded in trying to make you think that?" Maya asked Lucas.

"Honestly, I probably wouldn't be here if I thought she was truly happy." Lucas answered.

"I think I might kind of like you Lucas." Maya said, smiling.

"I told you that you would babe." Josh said, kissing her hand.

Once they were back to Josh's apartment, Maya called Riley and told her that she needed to come over. She could hear Charlie in the background trying to convince her not to, but Riley said she would be there soon. Lucas could fill the butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't wait to see her. He just hoped that she was excited to see him.

Forty-five minutes later, Lucas, Josh and Maya were still waiting on her to show up. Lucas was starting to get worried that she wasn't coming. He was about to say something to Maya and Josh when he heard the front door opening.

"Honey!" Maya exclaimed running to the door to greet Riley.

"Hi Peaches!" Riley said, but not as enthusiastically as Maya had greeted her.

"Come in! We have a surprise for you!" Maya was dragging Riley into the apartment. Lucas stood up and turned around. It took her a minute to notice the third person in the room, but when Lucas cleared his throat, her head shot up and looked right into his bright green eyes.

"Lucas?" She whispered.

"Hey Riles." Lucas said. He didn't know what to do. He was glued to the spot he was standing in.

"Lucas!" she squealed. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms. He embraced her and it felt like heaven. He didn't realize how much he had truly missed her until this moment. "I can't believe you are here! What are you doing here?"

"Well I missed Josh and wanted to see him."

She giggled at his comment and slapped his chest as she released herself from his embrace. Lucas missed her arms around him already. "Are you really here? Am I dreaming? Why didn't you tell me about this trip when I talked to you last weekend?"

"It wasn't exactly planned until after we got off the phone. I have some time before I start my internship in June so I thought a trip would be fun."

She hugged him again and just couldn't get over the fact that Lucas Friar was standing in her Uncle Josh's apartment. There were butterflies in her stomach and she couldn't catch her breath. She had not been this happy in 2 years, but she couldn't admit that to anyone.

"Well how long are you here Lucas?" Riley asked. "There is so much I want to show you!"

"My flight leaves Monday morning. So we have 3 nights and 2 days."

"What plans do you and Josh have?"

"You know I'm not a planner Riley. You do all the planning and Maya and I will just tag along." Josh said.

"Oh my gosh! I am so excited! Let's go to mom's bakery and we can start planning the weekend!" Riley grabbed Lucas's hand and dragged him out the door.

Maya and Josh looked at each other and smirked. "Oh boyfriend, have you seen her that happy since she has been here in New York?"

"No I haven't beautiful. I can't remember the last time I saw her this happy. I think we may finally get to see the Riley that I grew up with." Josh responded before they left the apartment and followed Riley and Lucas to Topanga's.

* * *

The group was sitting in a booth, Maya and Josh on one side and Lucas next to Riley and Lucas just couldn't stop staring at Riley. She was still his Riley, so full of life and so excited about the littlest things. Her phone kept ringing and she ignored it every time. She had planned a trip to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow morning and then the group was going to spend the afternoon and evening in Times Square. She was currently listing out all of the possible things they could do Sunday and kept saying, "I wish you could stay longer. There is so much to do and so little time!" which made Lucas laugh at her each time she said it.

The door to the bakery opened and the group heard, "Riley!"

Lucas saw her smile fade and turn into her fake one and her shoulders drop before he looked at the door. When he looked up at the door he saw a guy who he assumed was Charlie.

"Cheese Soufflé! How are you?" Maya asked the brown hair boy standing in the doorway. Lucas gave her a perplexed look and she whispered, "He hates that I call him that so it makes it all the more fun."

"Riley, come here. Now." Charlie demanded of her. Riley started to stand and walk over to him, but Josh stopped her and said, "No, she is with her friends. You can leave Charlie."

"Josh!" Riley hissed at him. She started to stand again, but Lucas grabbed her wrist to stop her.

Charlie goes, "Josh, don't speak for my girlfriend. Riley, now." Riley looked at Lucas and pleaded for him to let her go with her eyes. He stared right back at her and smirked. Charlie, being an extremely impatient man, walked over to the table and grabbed Riley's other arm and said, "I believe you have some explaining to do as to why you just took off earlier. And why you haven't been answering your phone. And who the hell this guy is."

Lucas let go of Riley's wrist, and held out his hand. "I'm Lucas Friar." Charlie gave him a look of disgust and turned to Riley, completely ignoring Lucas's hand.

"Lucas Friar, as in your ex-boyfriend? Riley, you left from spending time with me to see your ex-boyfriend? I think you are done here. Let's go." He tightened his grip on her arm and tried to pull her out of the booth, but Lucas interjected and said, "I think you need to let go of her right now before we have a problem." Charlie glared at Lucas, but Lucas was not intimidated. He glared right back at Charlie. Charlie let go of Riley's arm and Lucas noticed he had left a handprint on her arm. If Riley had not been blocking him from getting out of the booth, the group might have seen what Riley used to call 'Texas Lucas.'

"Charlie, yes, this is Lucas, my ex-boyfriend and best friend from Texas. He is in town this weekend. And yes, I will be spending time with him." Riley said. Her voice was shaky, but Lucas noticed Maya and Josh look at her with an impressed look on both of their faces.

"I don't think that's a good idea Riley." Charlie tried to argue.

"I don't think she asked your opinion Charlie." Maya said.

Lucas could feel the tension rise even higher than it already was so he tried to lighten the mood. "Riley has planned a great weekend of things for us to do around New York this weekend Charlie. You should join us." The whole group looked at Lucas like he had grown two more heads.

"Are you serious?" Charlie asked as a look of confusion spread across his face. Lucas looked at Riley and noticed her look at him with a crease in her forehead. 'God, she's so beautiful still.' Lucas thought as he looked at her. "Why do you think I would want to spend time with my girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend. I don't want her to spend time with you."

"I'm not just her ex-boyfriend. I am also her best friend. I know it would probably mean a lot to Riley if you took the time to get to know me and spent time with us too." Lucas said. "Because I am her best friend first, ex-boyfriend second." It killed Lucas to refer to himself as Riley's ex-boyfriend. He was still so in love with her, but he had to face reality and get to know her current boyfriend, even if it killed him. He watched Charlie think about what Lucas said for a few minutes. Lucas felt Riley's eyes on him. He looked at her and smiled. She returned one of her genuine smiles that made Lucas's heart swell.

"We had a date planned for tonight Riley. Did you forget about that?" Charlie said.

Riley thought about it for a minute and then asked, "What were we going to do? I guess I forgot about it with all the studying and tests I did this week."

Charlie didn't say anything at first. Lucas found that suspicious.

"Lucas is only in town until Monday Charlie. You can postpone your date until Monday night." Josh spoke up for his niece. He loved her, but hated how she couldn't stand up for herself to him.

"Charlie," Riley started, "we are going to grab pizza and then going back to Josh's apartment. If you want to go with us, you are more than welcome to, but that is what I am doing tonight." Lucas didn't like the way Charlie looked at Riley when she stood up and grabbed his arm. "I am hanging out with my friends tonight. Tomorrow we are going to the Statue of Liberty at 9am. If you would like to go, you can meet us at my apartment then. You have been invited." Riley pulled Lucas out of the bakery. Josh and Maya followed, leaving Charlie standing there scowling. The foursome stopped at Riley's favorite pizza joint before they walked back to Josh's apartment. Maya and Josh kept glancing and smirking at each other as they walked hand in hand observing Lucas and Riley enjoy spending time together. The foursome ended up eating pizza and talking until late into the night. Josh and Maya went into Josh's room and Riley stood up to leave so Lucas could go into Josh's spare room.

"Riley, you take Josh's extra bed and I will sleep on the couch." Lucas insisted.

"I can't Lucas. That's your bed this weekend. Plus mom and dad would probably freak out if I didn't come home." She countered.

"You still live with your parents?" this was a surprise to Lucas. He figured that she would have moved out by now. He didn't realize how strong of a hold her parents still had on her.

"Yeah, since they are paying for my school, I figured I would live at home to save them some money."

"Tell me the truth. Was it your idea or theirs?" Lucas inquired, but was pretty sure he knew the answer.  
"Well," Riley hesitated, which confirmed Lucas's suspicion, "they suggested it and so I agreed. It saves them a lot of money though so I don't mind."

'Typical Riley.' Lucas thought. 'Always putting others first.'

"Riley, it's late. Please just take Josh's spare bed. I know you live here, but I am always hearing horror stories about things happening to girls walking home late by themselves on the news. I would offer to walk you home, but I'm not so sure I would be able to find my way back. And I would feel awful about it if something happened to you. And you're at Josh's. Surely they don't mind you staying here, right?"

"You'd be surprised," she chuckled. "But okay. I'll stay. But I will sleep on the couch. You take the bed."

"I am not taking the bed Riles. That is not the gentlemanly thing to do." Lucas argued. He sat on the couch and stretched out so she couldn't sit down. "Good night Riles. I will see you in the morning." He stared at her and looked deep into her eyes. She gave him a real smile and started walking to Josh's spare room. "Good night Friar." He heard her say over her shoulder. He knew the old Riley was still in there; he just had to get her out.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: You guys have no idea how much it makes me smile when I see someone reviewed, favorited and/or followed my story! Please continue to do so! I'm sorry if the formatting is weird. I am trying to figure things out still. I do not own Girl Meets World nor did I write 'That Don't Sound Like You.'_

* * *

 ** _Truck tires on a gravel road_**

 ** _Laughing at the world, blasting my radio_**

 ** _Cannon ball splashing in the water_**

 ** _Doing whatever whenever you wanted_**

 ** _What did he do?_**

 ** _'Cause baby you don't sound like you anymore._**

Lucas woke up when he heard someone slamming a door. He saw Riley open the guest bedroom door. Josh came out of his bedroom and goes, "Guys, Maya isn't feeling well. I don't think we are going to get to come with you today."

"What's wrong with her?" Riley asked. Lucas could hear the concern for the blonde in her voice.

"I'm not sure Riley. She woke up and just ran to the bathroom. All I heard was 'going to be sick.'" Josh said.

"Oh no! I hope it's not food poisoning!" Riley exclaimed. "I don't want Lucas getting sick on his first trip to New York!"

"It's probably just a stomach bug Riley. If it was food poisoning, we would all be fighting over the bathroom." Josh countered.

Riley started to say something, but her phone started ringing. She goes to get it off the bedside table and answers it. The group could hear Charlie yelling at through the speaker from across the room. She walked back over and shut the door for some privacy, but Josh and Lucas stood right outside the door listening to her side of the conversation and neither of them liked hearing her beg him to forgive her for acting the way she acted the previous day. It made Lucas clench his fists when he heard her apologizing to him for causing him to lash out at her. He looked at Josh, who had an expressionless look on his face.

"Is it always like this Josh?" Lucas asked.

Josh nodded. "I have tried my hardest to get her away from him, but he's so manipulating. He has Cory and Topanga fooled. This is the first time Maya and I have seen her in about a month. We encouraged her to leave NYC and go to one of the nursing schools she has been accepted to, but Charlie didn't like that so he wouldn't let her come spend time with us."

Hearing that made it feel like someone was squeezing his heart. The Riley Lucas knew would never be manipulated by someone, especially when it came to her friends or when it came to following her dreams. She has always wanted to be a nurse so he didn't understand why she would even consider listening to the creep. Lucas was lost in thought when Riley opened the guest room door.

"I have to get home. Charlie is going to pick me up there and we will meet you guys at the ferry in an hour."

"Riley, Maya can't go, and I don't feel comfortable with leaving her here alone while she's sick and this is Lucas's first time in New York. Are you really going to let him wonder the streets alone?" Josh asked his niece.

"Don't worry about me Riley. I will just walk around NYC by myself and explore. I don't want to cause any problems between you and Charlie."

"NO!" The group heard Maya yell from the bathroom.

Riley walked up to the bathroom door and said, "Peaches, are you okay in there? Do you need anything?"

"Honey, don't make Lucas explore alone. He came all this way to spend two days with you. You haven't seen in him almost 2 years. What if something happens to the innocent huckleberry while he is exploring. How would that make you feel?" she said through the door.

"Maya, I'll be fine. I will probably just go back to Topanga's. I would love to see Riley's mom, dad and Auggie." Lucas said.

"Well how about you just come home with me and you can ride with Charlie and I. The three of us can still go out and have a good time." Riley said.

Lucas looked at Josh and thought he saw a smile on his face, but it disappeared as soon as Lucas thought he saw it.

"I don't want to make things worse for you and Charlie, Riles. I don't mind just going to the bakery again."

Riley grabbed his hand and said, "Let's go see my family. See you guys later Josh. Peaches, feel better. I will come check on you later." The ex-couple walked out of the apartment and when she heard the front door shut Maya came out of the bathroom.

"Do you think our plan will work?" Maya asked. "I mean stupid Charlie kind of puts a kink in it, but do you think it will work.

Josh shrugged. "I don't know sweetheart. But I hope Lucas doesn't kill Charlie. He's still in love with her and I don't think he will be able to keep his cool if Charlie talks to Riley like he normally does."

"What do you mean?" Maya asked her boyfriend.

"Let me tell you a story about 'Texas Lucas' while I make you some breakfast."

"Good. I'm starving." The blonde put her arm around her boyfriend and they walked into the kitchen.

* * *

For the first time since they had known each other, there was an awkward silence between Riley and Lucas as they walked to Riley's parent's apartment. Lucas knew he would have to keep his anger in check, especially since he knew that Josh wouldn't be there as a buffer between him and Charlie. He couldn't stand the awkward silence between the two so he decided to ask her about nursing school.

"So you never told me what nursing schools you were accepted to." Lucas said, hoping to end the awkwardness between the two.

"Oh, I got into the University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland and Northeastern."

"Oh my gosh Riley! Those are all really good schools! That is awesome! I am so proud of you!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. It felt so good to be holding her again. He felt her embrace him back. They stood like that for a few moments and then he reluctantly let her go and continued walking. "I thought you said you were accepted to 4 schools though?"

"Oh, well, the other one is completely off the table so it doesn't matter."

"Why is it completely off the table? If you were accepted to it, why wouldn't you consider it?"  
She looked at him and he could tell she wanted to talk with him about it, but was afraid to. So she changed the conversation.

"How's your family Lucas? How are Pappy Joe and the ranch? How are Zay and Vanessa?"

Lucas started to change the subject back to nursing school, but thought better of it so started telling Riley about Texas as they walked back to her parent's.

Riley looked up and down the street like she was looking for something and let out a little sigh of relief before they went into the building. They walked upstairs and Riley dug out her keys and walked inside.

"Well there is our little rebellious daughter who stays out all night and doesn't let her parents know where she is." They heard her dad say as the door opened. Riley and Lucas walked inside and he smiled at the three Matthews who were sitting at the breakfast table.

"LUCAS!" Auggie yelled as he jumped up from the table and jumped into the green-eyed boy's arms, but accidently knocking him to the ground.

"It's good to see you too Auggie."

"You were out all night with a boy?" Cory asked. Riley saw him start to grab his chest.

"I was at Uncle Josh's dad. I slept in the guest room and Lucas slept on the couch. I was not out all night with him. I have a boyfriend, remember?" Riley told her dad.

"Yuck. Boyfriend." Cory said.

"Yuck. Charlie." Auggie said.

Topanga walked over to Lucas and gave him a big hug. "It is so good to see you. How are your parents?"

"They are doing well." Lucas replied. "They are about to take over Pappy Joe's ranch completely so Pappy can retire and rest."

"I'm going to go change before Charlie gets here. I'll be right back." Riley told her family and Lucas before she walked out of the living area.

"Are you hungry Lucas? Can I get you anything?" Topanga asked him.

"I actually wanted to ask you both something. Auggie, can I talk to your parents for a minute?"

"Uh fine. But you have to promise to spend a little bit of time with me before you head back to Texas. Riley isn't the only one who missed you." Auggie said as he stomped out of the room.

"What did you want to ask us Lucas?" Cory asked.

"I may be over-stepping and I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but I heard that you guys are discouraging Riley from going to nursing school. Is that true?"

"Lucas, we would never discourage her from following her dream. We just think she needs to wait one more year until she can apply to NYU's program." Topanga said.

"Can I ask why?" Lucas questioned her. "Again, I don't mean to be disrespectful, I just am trying to understand why you don't want her to follow her dream now when she has the chance to right now."

"We just believe this is what's best for her Lucas. She still has so much growing up to do so we think it's best to stay here." Topanga reasoned.

"Why though? I just don't understand why you don't think she is ready to go face the world?" Lucas looked at Cory, his favorite teacher and a man he looked to as another father while he was growing up. "Sir, you always taught us that we had to make this world ours one day. Why do you guys not think Riley is ready to take on the world?"

"Why are you questioning our parenting Lucas? Is this because you think she should accept UT and go back to Austin?" Cory asked.

"What? No! Not at all. I just know she has been talking about being a nurse since 7th grade when she was in the hospital because of her ruptured appendix. Wait, she got into Texas? I didn't even know she applied. She only told me about Penn, Maryland and Northeastern. She didn't tell me she got into Texas."

"Oh boy." Lucas heard Riley say. Topanga, Cory and Lucas looked at the entryway that Riley had just disappeared through a few minutes prior. She was standing there looking at her parents.

The buzzer came on and they heard Charlie asking to be let into the building, but nobody moved. Lucas was still looking at Riley, but she refused to look at him.

"Riley, go to your room. We are not done with our conversation with Mr. Friar." Her dad told her. She didn't move at first, but her dad said her name more firmly and Lucas saw her disappear.

"Are you telling me that she didn't tell you about getting into Texas?" Topanga asked him.

"I promise I had no idea she applied. She never once mentioned it to me. When did she apply?"

There was a knock at the door, but the three of them tried to ignore it. It became more persistent so Cory went to answer it. "Hello Mr. Gardner. How did you get into the building?"

"Good morning Mr. Matthews. I buzzed, but nobody answered. Somebody let me in as they were leaving. I'm here to pick up Riley. We are going to Central Park today." Cory moved to let him into the apartment, and when he walked in he glared at the green-eyed Texan sitting on the Matthew's couch.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were at Josh's?" Charlie asked Lucas with venom in his voice.

"Maya got sick so Josh stayed home with her and Riley brought me with her so I wouldn't get lost in the city trying to get to the Statue of Liberty so you guys wouldn't be waiting on me all day to find it."

"It's not that hard to find. It's a tall green statue in the middle of a bay. I'm sure you could have found it." Charlie countered.

Riley came into the living room. Charlie walked over to her and leaned in for a kiss. Riley turned her head at the last second and he kissed her cheek. He frowned when she did that, but put his arm around her.

"Riley, are we going to Central Park today? I thought we were going to the Statue of Liberty?" Lucas questioned his best friend.

"No, we are going to the Statue. Why?" she asked.

"Charlie told us that you were going to Central Park today." Topanga said.

Riley looked at her boyfriend and Lucas realized what Charlie had planned. He had never planned on meeting Lucas, Maya and Josh at the Statue of Liberty. That's why he wanted to pick her up from her house. He let out a frustrated sigh that Cory and Topanga both noticed.

"No, I didn't say that. I said the Statue of Liberty. You guys must have not heard me correctly." Lied Charlie.

Lucas rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut. Topanga was going to point out Charlie's lie, but when she looked at Lucas, she figured if he wasn't going to say anything, she shouldn't either.

"You guys should probably get going so you don't get into a long ferry line. Lucas, please stay with us tonight, especially if Maya is sick. We don't need to send you back to Texas sick."

"I appreciate the offer Mrs. Matthews. I don't want to put you guys out though."

Auggie came running into the living room. "Lucas! You can sleep in my room! We can have a sleepover like we used to do in the tree house! You have to stay! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"

Everyone, except Charlie, started laughing at the enthusiasm of the 12 year old boy.

"I don't think you can say no to that Mr. Friar," Cory said.

"When have I ever been able to say no to any of you?" Lucas asked while chuckling still.

"I can think of one time." Cory smirked. Lucas glanced at Riley and they shared a small smile. Charlie noticed and Lucas noticed his grip on Riley tighten.

"Alright, get out of here you kids. Lucas, enjoy New York." Topanga said before the three of them walked out the door. When the door closed, Topanga looked at her husband. "He's still in love with our little girl."

Cory put his arm around his wife and nods his head. "I think you're right wife."

"How do you feel about that?" she looked up at her husband.

"I don't want to lose our little girl. I'm not ready for her to grow up yet. I want her to stay our little girl forever. I'm not ready for her to meet the world yet."

Auggie walked over to his parents and goes, "Mom, dad, let's talk about this." And the three of them talked about Riley and her time to meet the world. They never realized how much Auggie observed and were so thankful for him to open their eyes to things they didn't ever see.

* * *

Lucas knew he had a bed feeling about Charlie, but watching the way Riley acted around him made him dislike him even more. Anytime Lucas and her brought up a story from Texas, he immediately changed the subject and told her that they shouldn't talk about things he wasn't apart of, which eventually made them stop talking completely. While in the car, she heard a song on the radio she liked and went to turn it up, but he immediately turned it down, scolded her for touching his radio and complained about her busting a speaker. She didn't once actually smile. He saw her fake smile all day long. She didn't laugh either. The Riley he knew laughed at even some of the stupidest things. He thought it was adorable. Granted, he didn't do much smiling or laughing either, but he felt he had a legitimate reason. He couldn't laugh or smile knowing that Riley wasn't laughing or smiling. He wanted to talk to Riley about why she didn't tell him about Texas.

When Charlie pulled back up to the Matthew's apartment building, Charlie couldn't kick him out of the car fast enough. "Well, Riley and I are going to dinner tonight Lucas. See you later."

"That wasn't the plan Charlie. We are going to Times Square tonight." Riley said.

"I thought that was when Josh and Maya were going? I figured since they can't go, you would want to go out to dinner with me to make up for forgetting about our date last night." Charlie pouted to Riley.

"I am making it up to you Monday after Lucas leaves. We discussed this."

"But after our discussion this morning on the phone, I thought you had changed your mind and wanted to make it up to me as soon as possible."

"And Monday is as soon as possible Charlie. Lucas is only here for two nights. I am not going to make him sit at home with my family while I go out with you. That's so rude and cannot believe you would even suggest that Charlie."

"He would love to hang out with your family. Isn't that right, Lucas?" Charlie looked at him in the rearview mirror. Lucas wanted to punch Charlie in the nose he couldn't stand looking at him, but knew that if he did that, it would hurt Riley.

"Riley, what do you want to do?" Lucas asked her."

"She wants to go out with me, don't you baby?" Charlie answered for her. Lucas ignored him and asked again.

"What do you want to do Riles?" Lucas touched her shoulder, trying to get her to look at him, but she refused. "Riley." He whispered.

"I'll see you when I get home Lucas. I'm sorry about this."

"Riley, you have nothing to be sorry about." Charlie said. "He's the one who ruined your weekend by just showing up here."

"No he didn't Charlie! How dare you say that?" Riley said to him. Lucas smiled for the first time today because she was sticking up for him.

"It's just pretty inconvenient for him to be here. That's all I meant by that."

"You should probably stop talking now Charlie before I change my mind about going out with you tonight. I am glad Lucas is here. Him being in New York will never be an inconvenience to me. I am going to walk him upstairs and change Charlie. Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes."  
He starts to turn off the car, but Riley stops him. "I said wait here. I will be right back. Come on Lucas."

"Goodbye Charlie." Lucas said as he got out of the car and slammed the door a little harder than necessary.

Riley and Lucas walked into the building and headed up to the Matthews' apartment.

"Why didn't you tell me about Texas, Riley? Why did you say it was off the table?" Lucas asked the question that had been rolling through his mind all day.

"My parents wouldn't let me stay in Texas two years ago and when they saw it in the mail box, I got a lecture about even applying. There is no way they will let me go."

"Why did you apply if you knew they wouldn't let you go?"

"Honestly?" She looked up at him. He nodded. "I applied during the dark days."

"The dark days?" Lucas asked.

"During the 4 months we didn't talk." She said, looking down at her feet.

Lucas raised her chin and made her look at him. "Riley, I have a very serious question for you. And I need you to be very honest with me. When was the last time you did something that you wanted to do?"

"What do you mean Lucas?"

"When was the last time you did something that you actually wanted to do?"

She thought about it for a moment and answered, "Last night when I told Charlie that I was going to hang out with you."

"What about before that?"

She hesitated before she spoke again, but eventually said, "I don't remember."

"What happened to you Riley?" He said as he wrapped her up into a hug. "Are you this way because of him? Because of New York?" He felt her push away from him. His heart tightened at the feel of her pushing off of his chest because he knew that he had upset her. They walked into the apartment and she went straight to her room, changed and left immediately without saying bye to anyone. Cory, Topanga and Auggie looked at Lucas, curious as to why he was still there and Riley had left.

* * *

"Charlie didn't want me hanging out with them anymore. Do you mind me hanging out with you all tonight?" Lucas explained to her family.

"What were you guys supposed to do tonight?" Topanga asked him.

"She was going to take me to Times Square."

Topanga looked at Cory and he gave a small nod. "Call Josh and Maya. The five of us will take you out to Times Square tonight. We need to make sure you get to visit all of the popular tourist spots."

"Josh won't leave Maya home alone."

"Oh, I think Maya is feeling much better and the two of them would love to come out with us." Cory said with a small smile.

Lucas didn't understand what he was saying, but he did what Cory said. Maya and Josh showed up 30 minutes later, disappointed to not see Riley there. The Matthews, Lucas and Maya jumped on the subway and headed for the ever-popular Times Square and didn't get home until late that night. Riley was asleep on the couch.

"God, she is so beautiful."

"You still love her, don't you Mr. Friar?" Cory asked.

Lucas froze because he didn't realize he said that loud enough for anyone to hear, but realized he needed to honest with him. "I never stopped sir." Cory looked into his eyes and knew he wasn't lying. "I need to go to bed. I only have one day left to spend with her and I don't want to spend it sleeping."

"I'll put Auggie in Riley's room so you can have his bed."

"Thank you sir. Thank you for letting me stay the night with you guys tonight." He paused for a minute, gathered his courage and said, "Sir, I want to be honest with you about something. Please don't kick me out when I say this, but I love Riley. And being in love with her means that I do what's best for her. And I think her getting out of New York is best for her. She is not the same person she was two years ago. And I know everyone changes as we grow up, but this Riley, she has changed into someone who my Riley would never change into. She needs to get out of New York to find herself again."

"And just where do you think she should go Mr. Friar?"

"It doesn't matter where I think she should go. I am one hundred percent positive you know where I think she should go, but Riley needs to do what she wants for a change. She has always done what other people want so I think it's time for her to decide what she wants."


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: I had a little time tonight so I thought I would post the next chapter! Thank you to all the new followers and favoriters and to everyone who reviewed. Unfortunately, this is the second to last chapter. I will try and post the final chapter before the end of the weekend. Enjoy this one!_

 _I do not own Girl Meets World or the song lyrics I use._

* * *

 ** _That town, that job, that guy_**

 ** _You can leave them behind, girl you know you're better than that_**

 ** _If you wanna come back, you can come back_**

 ** _Baby come back_**

Lucas woke up the next day determined. He was going to pull out all of the stops to convince her to leave New York. She was not a person he recognized anymore and that bothered him. Even if she didn't love him anymore, he couldn't stand seeing her this way. Even if she didn't come back to Texas with him, he was going to convince her to follow her dreams because it was what she wanted. It didn't mean he wasn't going to try to get her to come back with him though. He looked over at the clock and realized he slept way later than he wanted to. He sat up, put a shirt on and went out into the living area of the Matthews' apartment. Riley was sitting at the table listening to her parents. The trio stopped talking when they noticed Lucas standing there. Lucas smiled at Riley. She smiled back and said, "Good morning Lucas. I'm so sorry about last night."

"You don't have to apologize Riley. If that is what you wanted to do, you know I am glad you did it." Lucas countered.

"Are you hungry Lucas?" Topanga asked. "I can whip something up."

"I am, but I think I just want to go back to your bakery. Those muffins I had the other day were incredible. Riley, do you have time to show me how to get there again?"

"Yeah, of course Lucas. Let me go change." She said as she stood up and walked to her room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, I just wanted to apologize to you both for how I spoke to you yesterday. I was out of line. I know her goal is to put everyone's happiness above her own, that's one of the reasons I fell in love with her when I was 14 years old. I just, I still love her and in the day and a half I have been here, I feel as if she is so worried about everyone else's happiness that she doesn't know how to make herself happy anymore."

Cory and Topanga stared at the green-eyed Texan, but neither of them could speak. They knew how selfless their daughter was, but it was at that moment they realized he might be right. After their talk with Riley before he came in to the living area, they were trying to get Riley to open up to them, but she wouldn't open up to them like they had hoped. Before anyone could say anything else, Riley came back into the room. "Ready to go Lucas?" He smiled at her and nodded and the two left.

* * *

Once they got to the bakery and got a booth, they fell into a comfortable silence. They kept stealing glances at each other, but neither of them knew what to say until Lucas spoke up.

"I'm sorry for just showing up here and ruining your weekend Riley." He said although he really wasn't.

"Lucas, you didn't ruin anything! I am so glad you are here! It only took almost two years to get you here." She giggled.

"Yeah, and I am still working on getting you to come back to visit Texas." He said with a smile.

"I hate that you don't get to stay for longer." She said as she reached out and placed her hand on top of his.

"I do too Riles. I do too. So how was your date with Charlie last night?"

Her fake smile graced her face, but before she started talking, her phone rang. "Hold on, it's work. I'll be right back." She stood up and walked outside. He watched her leave and was trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to tell her. He could tell she was getting frustrated and when she hung up, she held her phone up to her forehead. Lucas walked outside and put his arm around her. "What's wrong Riles?"

"My job can't honor my off time. I have to go in for a shift although I am supposed to not go back to work until Tuesday. I am so sorry Lucas. I just wanted to spend today with you."

He pulled her into a hug so she couldn't see the disappointment in his eyes. "How about I walk you to your work then. That way I can explore the city a little more."

"Are you sure? I would hate for you to get lost in the city?"

"It's a risk I am willing to take." He said, giving her his million-dollar smile. He thought he may have seen her blush, but wasn't sure. She looped her arm through his as they began walking to the hospital, laughing and talking the whole way, not knowing that they were both thinking about how much they still loved the other. Once they got to the hospital, Riley apologized again to Lucas for having to work on his last day in town. She promised to come straight home after work. She gave him a hug before she went inside. He stood there and smiled at her as she walked away. She glanced back over her shoulder and gave him a smile. He knew he had to talk to her before he left and he was running out of time. He had several hours to figure out what he was going to say to her. If he did anything this weekend, he was going to convince her to make sure that she knew what she wanted was the most important thing in the world. He had to convince her that she had to make herself happy first before making everyone else happy. He also realized that he couldn't ask her to come back to Texas because that was what he wanted her to do and he wouldn't be any better than Charlie if he told her what he wanted her to do. After watching her walk into the building, he began trying to find his way back to the Matthews' apartment.

* * *

Lucas spent the afternoon with Auggie. Josh and Maya came over to join them early that evening. Lucas had a great time with the Matthews and Maya, but if he was honest, he just wanted Riley to come home from work. It was almost 10 and she had texted him apologizing that she wasn't back yet. Topanga offered to let Lucas sleep over again so he could spend some time with Riley before his flight left the next day. After Josh promised to bring Maya down to Texas before summer was over, the couple left. Mr. Matthews carried the sleeping Auggie to his room. Topanga hugged Lucas and told him goodbye since she would have to leave for the office early in the morning. "It was so good to see you Lucas. Please don't be a stranger." She said to him.

"I'll try not to be." He said hugging the woman who was like another mother to him. He really had missed the Matthews family. He watched Mrs. Matthews walk out of the living area and noticed Mr. Matthews was standing in the doorway that led to the bedrooms.

"Mr. Friar, we have enjoyed having you here this weekend. I haven't seen Riley this happy in a while. I know we have you to thank for that. Thank you for putting her wants first." Mr. Matthews said.

"I need to be honest with you both because I respect you both. I am going to tell her to go to nursing school. I am going to tell her to pick whichever one she wants to go to and encourage her to leave New York at the end of summer to follow her dreams. And I am going to be encouraging her all summer to do so. Even if I have to fly back up here in August and drag her out of yours and Charlie's grip, I am going to do that. Because that is what Riley wants, no matter what she tells you. And she needs to start doing what she wants." Lucas said with so much passion.

Cory and Topanga looked at Lucas with such awe in their eyes. They couldn't believe their daughter's high school boyfriend was talking to them like he was. But, they knew right then they were wrong about making her come to New York with them for college. They knew right then that they were wrong in trying to make her hold off on nursing school. They knew right then that they had to let their little girl do what she wanted to do and stop telling her what she should do. They decided that they would start tomorrow with encouraging her as well. They both gave Lucas a small smile and said good night. As they walked to their bedroom, the front door opened and in walked Riley.

"Lucas, I am so sorry I am so late!" she said giving him a hug. Lucas wrapped her up and tried to memorize how she felt in his arms. Especially since he had no idea as to how she would react to what he was going tell her. They sat down on the couch. "You came to New York to see me and I spent more time doing other things than spending time with you. I am a terrible friend! I am so sorry!"

"Riley, you are not a terrible friend! But what took you so long to get home tonight Riley? I thought you said that you only had to work an 8 hour shift?"

She hesitated before she started talking, "Charlie showed up and wanted to take me out to dinner." She whispered.

Lucas sighed and shook his head. "Of course he did."

"I didn't want to go out with him after work. I wanted to come spend time with you! Gosh, I am such a terrible friend." She repeated.

"It isn't your fault that you were called into work today. It's not your fault your boyfriend is insecure in your relationship and didn't want you spending time with me."

"Well, Charlie knows our history so he has a reason to be insecure."

"It was our history though. Why does he have to be insecure about the past?" Lucas looked at her quizzically. Riley blushed at what she said and tried to change the subject.

"Did you enjoy your time in New York?"

"Somewhat. I enjoyed spending time with your family and meeting Maya, but I didn't get to spend time with the one person I came to see." He said grabbing her hand. She put her other hand on top of his.

"I cannot apologize enough Lucas. I wanted to spend the weekend with you. I was so looking forward to it. I just…"

"You just did what everyone else wanted you to do." Lucas finished her sentence for her. "You did whatever Charlie wanted you to do. You did what your boss wanted you to do. But you didn't do one thing this weekend that you wanted to do. Unless you didn't actually want to spend time with me."

"You know that's not true Lucas!"

"Then Riley, you have to start standing up for yourself and doing what you want to do!"

"It's not that simple Lucas."

"Yes it is Riley. What makes you happy?"

"Making other people happy. That's always made me happy." Riley said confidently.

"I know that's true Riles, but has it gotten to the point that it doesn't make you happy anymore? Because in the 48 hours I have been here, I can count on one hand how many times I have seen a genuine Riley smile. When are you going to start putting what you want first?"

Riley didn't say anything. 'How did he always know?' she thought.

"Riley, what I am about to say may change our relationship, but I love you too much to not say it." He took a deep breath before he continued. "You have changed Riley. And I think it all happened when you came to New York. You have never questioned your dreams before. You have always made sure that you had a say in what your path in life held. You never chose your boyfriend over your friends and you never shut out your friends just because your boyfriend wanted you to. Trust me, I know that from first hand experience. You never questioned your decisions just because someone else didn't want that for you. You still made sure that you got what you wanted and still found a way to make others happy with your decision. I am supposed to be your best friend, but I'm not sure I recognize you anymore. You need to leave New York Riley and find yourself again. Go to nursing school and follow your dream. Don't go to nursing school and find a new dream! Do something that you want to do for once."

Riley wouldn't look at him. She stared down at her lap processing everything he had just said. "What do you think I should do Lucas?" she finally asked him.

He just gave her an incredulous look. "Did you not hear a word I just said Riley? It doesn't matter what I want you to do! It matters what YOU want! Riley, the only thing that matters is what you want to do."

"What if I don't know what I want to do anymore?" Riley asked.

"Then you have to go back to when you knew what you wanted. To help you discover what you want." He said.

Riley slowly nodded her head and continued processing what Lucas said. They sat there, stealing glances at one another. Riley laid down in his lap and started dozing off. Lucas was running his fingers through her hair, but before she fell asleep she whispered, "Lucas, did you mean it? What you said tonight?"

"I meant all of it Riley. _ALL_ of it." Lucas said, emphasizing hoping she would realize he meant he still loves her. He saw a smile grace her lips, which brought one to his. The two of them fell asleep like that.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: And here is the final chapter! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following my first story. I have a couple of ideas for my next story, I just need to get them out of my head. Please let me know what you thought of this story and/or what I can do to improve my writing._

* * *

 ** _Girl, I'm glad you called, first heard you talk_**

 ** _Took me a second cause I couldn't hear your drawl_**

The next morning when Lucas woke up, he was alone. Riley was no longer lying in his lap. The apartment was actually empty. He knew Mr. and Mrs. Matthews had to work and Auggie still had school, but Riley being gone shocked him. He walked to her bedroom to see if she was in there, but she wasn't. He walked in and admired her room. He looked at all the picture she had set up around. He saw the last picture they took together in a frame on her bedside table. He smiled thinking about how he had that exact same picture sitting on his nightstand at home. He picked it up and sat down in her bay window. She had told him stories of this window and how special it was to her and how she and Maya solved all of their problems sitting in it. He looked at the picture in his hand and remembered the heartbreak he felt as he watched the Matthews' car pull out of their driveway that day. He became lost in thought when he heard the front door open. He ran into the living room hoping it was Riley.

"Riley! Where did you…" he started, but was disappointed when he saw Josh.

"Aww I'm hurt that you aren't excited to see me too," Josh acted hurt.

"Riley wasn't here when I woke up. I just thought she would want to see me off today since we didn't get as much time together as I had hoped."

"She had something to take care of. She thought she was going to make it back in time, but called me and asked if I would take you. She said she would try her hardest to meet us there. But, I don't think she wants to tell you goodbye though Luke. She probably thought it would be easier this way." Josh said.

Lucas sighed, "Yeah, that's probably why she isn't here. Let me go change and I'll grab my bag and we can go." He walked into Auggie's room and changed clothes. He couldn't lie to himself. He was upset Riley took off without saying goodbye. And he didn't know when he would be seeing her again. Maybe after everything he said last night, she needed some space from him. He didn't regret what he said, but he must have said something that upset her. Maybe she felt guilty that she fell asleep on his lap and had to go apologize to Charlie about it. He remembered one time when she went out with a group of her cheerleader friends she came straight over to his house afterwards to apologize to him because she had accidentally grabbed one of the guys' hands during a scary part of the movie. He smiled at that memory because she had been so flustered about it when in reality it was something she did during every scary movie and she never realized it.

'That's probably where she's at.' Lucas thought and his heart ached at that thought. Even if Riley didn't love him anymore, she deserved someone so much better than Charlie. And he hoped that Josh and Maya could convince her of that soon. He hoped she would still answer his calls so he could keep encouraging her to leave this city. In his heart, he knew he wanted to convince her to come back to Texas, but he couldn't do that because it wasn't about what he wanted. It was about what she wanted and he didn't want to put any ideas in her head. He decided to call her and see if she would pick up, but her phone with to her voicemail.

"Hey, Riles. I'm about to leave your apartment to head to the airport. Josh said that you had something to take care of this morning. I wish you had woken me up. I hope you make it to the airport before my plane before I have to head to the gate. I don't want to leave without saying goodbye. Listen, I didn't mean to upset you last night with what I said. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I want you to be happy. I just… You deserve to be happy Riley." He said before hanging up. He wanted to tell her he still loves her, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

He grabbed his bag and went out to the living room.

"You ready to leave?" Josh asked.

"No, but I won't ever be ready to leave Riley." Lucas said. "But, let's go." And the two of them headed off to the airport.

* * *

Josh pulled up to the departure lane at the airport and put his car in park.

"Josh, I need you and Maya to do something for me." Lucas started.

"What is it Luke?"

"Encourage Riley to go to nursing school. I know she is running out of time to accept admission, but she needs to go. It is her dream and she needs to follow her dream. No matter what anyone says. I know it's what she wants, but she is too busy listening to people tell her it isn't what she wants right now."

"You know my brother is not going to be happy with me encouraging his sweet daughter to do something that he is against."

"Yeah, but when I told him that I would be encouraging it and told him that I would fly back up here to drag her to school myself if I had to neither one of them said anything to discourage me."

"You said that to my brother? About Riley? And he didn't kill you?"

Lucas smirked and nodded. "I know she wants to make everyone else happy, but I want her to be happy. She needs to stop doing what everyone else wants her to do and start doing what she wants to do."

"Even if that means she wants to be with Charlie?"

Lucas shuddered at the thought, but nodded. "Even if that means she wants to be with Charlie."

"Man Luke, you really do still love her." Josh said, patting him on the back.

Lucas smiled and nodded, "I do, more than anything. Thanks for the ride Josh. I hope to see you and Maya soon." he said before he walked into the airport.

He went into the airport and checked in. He waited a little while to before he went to security, hoping Riley would show up to tell him bye. He waited as long as he could, but then decided he better head to his gate. He kept looking at his phone, hoping she would call him back. He thought about calling her again, but decided against it. He didn't want to bother her, especially since he didn't know how they left things.

"Lucas!" he heard his name being yelled. He looked around, but figured that someone was looking for another Lucas. He shrugged it off, but then he heard it again, "Lucas!" and this time it was closer and it sounded like Riley. He jumped out of his chair and started looking for her. He saw her about 100 yards away searching for something, for him he assumed. He yelled her name and her eyes locked on his. She ran towards him and jumped into his arms.

"I was so afraid I was too late!" she said, hugging his neck tight.

"What are you doing at the gates? You had to buy a ticket. Why did you buy a ticket?" he started questioning her.

"I couldn't let you leave without telling you that you are right. Lucas, you are right about everything you said last night. I'm not happy anymore. But I want to be happy again and I figured out how to do that!" she said.

He pulled away from her just a little bit so he could look at her. "You could have just called me back and told me this Riles." He said, chuckling at her.

"No! No I couldn't! I had to tell you in person because the last time I remember what I wanted I was back in Texas with you. I stopped doing what I wanted the day my parents told me we were moving to New York. I didn't want to leave you. I didn't want to break up with you. But I felt like I wasn't allowed to do what I wanted to do anymore because they wouldn't let me. But I know what I want now. Lucas, I want to be with you! I love you!"

He picked her up and spun her around, which caused her to giggle. He had been waiting to hear those words for so long. He stopped and put her down on the ground and said, "Wait, what about nursing school? Where do you want to go? And don't just say Texas because I am going to be there."

"I accepted my admission letter to Texas on the taxi ride over here. I want to be with you Lucas. That is what I am sure of. I don't care which nursing school I go to as long as I am with you!"

"What about your family? What about Charlie?" he questioned.

"I told my parents my decision about Texas this morning while you were still sleeping. They weren't happy about it, but they told me that they would support my decision. As for Charlie, I went to break up with him this morning. That's what I was doing and why I couldn't bring you to the airport. He was changing me Luke. You were right about that too. I didn't like who I was becoming when I was with him."

Lucas pulled her in for another hug and kissed her on top of her head. "Riley, I have been waiting for you to come back to me for almost 2 years. But are you sure that is what you want?"

She pulled away from him and looked him in his bright emerald eyes. "Lucas, this is the first time I can say without a doubt this is what I want. I want to come back to Texas. I want to go to nursing school in Texas. And most importantly, I want to be with a man who is willing to put all of his feelings aside and wants locked inside of him in order to make me happy. And lastly, I want you to kiss me right now Lucas." She said, smiling up at him. Lucas smirked at her last sentence, but bent down and kissed her with all the passion he had bottled up since she left Texas. The only thing that broke them apart was his flight being called to board.

"So, when are you making your way down to Texas?" he asked her.

"Today." She replied with a smirk on her face. He looked at her with his brows furrowed. "What? You didn't think that I was going to waste money and buy a ticket to some random place just to tell you bye? I already called your mom and she said that she would be more than happy to let me stay with you guys until I found an apartment. In the guest bedroom of course."

Lucas was processing everything she was saying, but was speechless. He was in a daze until he heard over the speaker system another call for his flight. Their flight.

"What about all of your things?" Lucas asked.

"I was able to stuff enough clothes in this bag to last me a week. And then I can do laundry. But once I find a place, Josh and Maya said they would come down and bring me what else I needed."

"You've thought of everything." Lucas said in shock.

"Well, I know what I want." She said giving him another smirk. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Come on, let's go home." She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the gate.

'Home.' Lucas thought. 'It will finally feel like home again.'

They both boarded the plane and since Riley bought her ticket at the last minute, they didn't get to sit by each other. Lucas helped her put her bag in an overhead compartment and pulled her into a hug before she went and found her seat.

"Hey Riles," he started.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you called." He said giving her one more kiss before they both took their seats and headed back to Texas.

* * *

 _Author's Note 2: Again, thank you so much for everything! I know some of you wanted to see a Charlie/Lucas confrontation or a scene with Riley going off on Charlie, but that was never the point of this story and I am sorry if I disappointed any of you. I hope you still enjoyed the final chapter and hope you will read any of my future stories, if I can get them out of my head and on paper!_


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